Three Million US Teens Think of Suicide: US Government Survey

Three million American teens have thought seriously about or even attempted suicide, according to a US government survey released in Washington Sunday.

The report, prepared by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found that more than 13 percent of American teens aged 14 to 17 considered suicide in 2000,but only 36 percent of them had received mental health treatment or counseling.

SAMHSA administrator Charles Curie said depression is the main cause of suicide for American teens.

"We need to help teens make the link between untreated depression and the risk for suicide, and help them identify serious depression or suicide risk in a friend," Curie said.

The survey, the first of its kind ever done by SAMHSA, found that girls were twice as likely as boys to think about suicide.